What Are Active Speaker Windows?

Videoconferences with too many participants run the risk of becoming confusing and frustrating. An active speaker window can overcome these problems by allowing meeting organizers to better curate a video meeting experience.

How Active Speaker Windows Work

In a conventional videoconference, presenters may inadvertently talk over one another. Because of this, participants often struggle to keep track of who is talking and may find themselves frustrated by the constant interruption. Managing the technology itself often takes precedence over the subject matter, which undermines productivity and generally produces an unsatisfactory sense of disorder, and this only worsens as a meeting group gets larger.

Active speaker windows can be operated manually (by a meeting facilitator) or they can be configured to run automatically.

• Manual: A meeting facilitator can tag one of the participants as the “main presenter” within the video conference user interface.

• Automatic: The software employs artificial intelligence to identify who is speaking. The meeting facilitator has the option to adjust the level of sensitivity to fine-tune how rapidly the software shifts focus.

For both manual and automatic operation, when a new active speaker is identified their screen will immediately enlarge, and audio may optionally be adjusted to allow the speaker’s voice to be prioritized.

Advantages of Active Speaker Windows

Active speaker windows:

• Reduce confusion: Controlling who receives central attention makes it easier for meeting organizers to avoid over-talking and audio interference. Moreover, an enlarged speaker window makes it easier for meeting participants to recognize and react to non-verbal facial expressions.

• Improve productivity: This feature greatly simplifies the process of managing an online video conference. Instead of a group constantly needing to self-manage the inherent obstacles of online communication, active windows can allow an organizer to “curate” meeting content, freeing participants to focus on meeting subject matter.

• Save time: Fewer technical constraints to communication reduce costly administrative time. A more tightly curated videoconference experience can also boost the value gained from every meeting.

Who Should Use Active Speaker Windows

Any company with remote teams who regularly meet online can benefit from active speaker windows. The technology is particularly useful for groups that must regularly reach consensus on complex decision points without the luxury of face-to-face contact.